John Tavares Nears Maple Leafs Return as Toronto Seeks Top-Six Stability
Tavares has resumed skating, and Toronto could regain its second-line centre this weekend if he clears contact practice.
John Tavares is nearing a return at a moment when Toronto could use his steadiness across the top nine. The Maple Leafs have stayed above .500 without their second-line centre, but his absence has left their forward combinations unsettled and their standing in a tight Atlantic Division precarious.
Tavares took part in his first team skate since being injured Tuesday morning. He wore a red non-contact jersey, stayed on the ice after the optional session and will miss his ninth straight game Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth. Toronto coach Jim Hiller said the forward was “closer,” without offering a return date.
The next step is contact. Tavares needs to practise with contact in at least one of Toronto’s two full practices this week, scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, before he can be cleared for the weekend back-to-back against Montreal and New Jersey. He is rehabbing an undisclosed lower-body injury suffered three weeks ago against Buffalo.
The club placed forward Bo Groulx on waivers Monday, opening a roster spot as Tavares approaches a possible return. The move offers a practical sign that Toronto is preparing for a lineup change, though the contact sessions will determine whether Tavares can play.
What Toronto has missed
The Leafs have gone 5-3 since Tavares went down awkwardly during a loss. They also managed a four-game winning streak before stumbling during the middle of a Western road trip. Hiller credited the group for holding up, while emphasizing that Tavares contributes beyond what shows up on the scoresheet.
Before the injury, Tavares had seven points in seven games and won 60.4 per cent of his faceoffs. He appeared in all 82 games last season, and this season Hiller has kept his workload to an average of 16:31 per game, a career low. That reduced ice time hasn’t erased his value: Toronto has lost a centre who can create offence, compete for pucks and handle defensive responsibilities.
Nick Paul has stepped up in Tavares’ absence, but his return would let the Leafs arrange their forwards more naturally. The top six has been in flux, with a separate injury to winger Kirill Marchenko adding to the disruption. Toronto has struggled to sustain offensive-zone possession at five-on-five, and outside the Auston Matthews–Jack Roslovic pairing, Hiller has had to cycle through combinations in the top nine.
William Nylander is one player Toronto would like to see benefit from a more settled group. Hiller said the winger has had ups and downs and wants him to carry the puck more, attack and create more danger around the net. Nylander’s ability to drive a line remains part of the picture, but a familiar centre could help the Leafs give him a steadier platform.
Tavares’ impact also comes away from the puck. Hiller pointed to his work in battles, his sense for where to go in the offensive zone and his ability to make plays once he gets there. The coach has seen that game evolve since Tavares joined Toronto in 2018: the forward has continued to produce while adding a stronger defensive presence.
That blend matters as the Leafs try to address the depth exposed by injuries. A returning centre can give the coaching staff more options, settle assignments and help spread responsibility through the forward group. It won’t by itself solve Toronto’s uneven five-on-five attack, but it would give Hiller another reliable player to place beside a top-line winger or use to hold a line together.
Division pressure and a test against Utah
Toronto’s winning record during Tavares’ absence has not created much breathing room. The Leafs sit sixth in the Atlantic with 18 points; Buffalo and Detroit are each one point behind and have games in hand. In that setting, getting points while Tavares works his way back is the immediate concern, while a healthier forward group could help the club build more consistency.
Sergei Bobrovsky is set to start Tuesday against Utah. The Mammoth handed Anthony Stolarz his only loss of the season and punished Toronto with fast transition attacks on the Leafs’ trip to Salt Lake City last month. Hiller said Toronto made the game harder by allowing Utah to generate rush chances and by giving the puck to its goaltender too often, which disrupted the forecheck.
For Hiller, the correction begins with where Toronto sends the puck. Better placements on the forecheck can help the Leafs pressure Utah and limit the Mammoth’s ability to turn defensive stops into attacks. Toronto’s projected lineup for Tuesday is:
Forwards
Cowan – Matthews – Roslovic
Joshua – Paul – Nylander
McKenna – Sissons – Lettieri
Duhaime – Blueger – MacEwan
Defence
McCabe – Raddysh
Rielly – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – Stecher
Goalies
Bobrovsky starts
Stolarz
The weekend schedule gives Tavares a clear, near-term target, but his progress through contact practice remains the deciding factor. If he gets the required work in, Toronto could add back a centre whose scoring, faceoff ability and defensive detail address several of the lineup’s current needs at once.
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